a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular hydraulic turbine. By "modular" turbine, there is meant a turbine made of a small number of components that are cast or molded, and can easily be assembled and/or interchanged whenever required.
The invention also relates to the combination of such a modular hydraulic turbine with an electric generator.
b) Brief Description of the Prior Art
Large hydraulic turbines for use to convert the energy of water flowing from a reservoir into electric and/or mechanical energy, are well known and extensively used worldwidely, especially in large dams.
Hydraulic turbines of smaller size for use in small dams, water falls and rivers, are also known. As non-restrictive examples of such "smaller" turbines, reference can be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,271 of 1981 to Walter J. CHAPPELL et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,945 of 1991 to Normand LEVESQUE. However, these turbines are expensive since they are complicated to build, and/or not very efficient energetically.